Thousands of students, teachers and disgruntled citizens took to the streets of the capital Niamey on Tuesday to denounce mismanagement and lack of funding for the country’s main university, currently closed due to protests. Organisers said 4,000 people marched on the parliament buildings, although an IRIN correspondent estimated turnout to be closer to 3,000.

With South Africa still struggling to improve education standards, a new report has called on the government to consider using local languages as a medium of instruction in schools. "An inadequate command of language, whether by the teacher, the learner or both, constitutes a serious barrier to effective schooling and education," said the report.

Deaths of parents from AIDS-related illnesses in rural Swaziland has slowed the rate of school construction, school officials told Prime Minister Dlamini during a visit to the north of the country. "Construction of our high school was financed by parents. Unfortunately, most of these parents have passed away and everything has stopped," said Phindile Magagula, a community leader in Ludzibini.